Chapter 465: The annual battle started in advance
Chapter 465: The Hundred-Year Battle Started Ahead of Time (5k)
At the top of Mount Luo, the sky was dark and overcast, with faint electric snakes dancing, as if brewing nine-day thunder.
Xu Zhenguan was wearing a dragon robe, holding Taizu's magic weapon in his hand, and looking at Wu Xiankui's figure with a stern look.
When this contemporary martial arts master first appeared, he was still far away, above the river. But with one step, he crossed the distance and appeared ten feet away from the empress.
"Wu Xiankui! It's you indeed."
Xu Zhenguan's voice was harsh and his face was as cold as if covered with frost, just like the winter day three years ago when the Xuanmen coup took place.
There wasn't much surprise in her tone, as if she had guessed it a long time ago.
As he spoke, his eyes fell on Wu Xiankui, a tall and burly man who came alone from the East China Sea on a bamboo raft.
The latter was dressed in coarse linen clothes, with messy hair of a mixture of black and white, tied casually behind his head with a ribbon.
There was nothing unusual about the face of the man, who was about fifty years old, except for a bright red mark as big as a date on the center of his forehead.
Perhaps it was because he had been sitting alone on the cliff, facing the sea for too many years, and his skin color was particularly rough due to the erosion of the sea breeze.
Wu Xiankui stood with his hands behind his back. Although he was wearing coarse linen clothes, he had the demeanor of a master. His heavy eyes looked at the angry empress calmly and said in a light tone:
"Your Majesty knew I was coming?"
Xu Zhenguan tightly gripped the hilt of the sword, ignoring the dancing electric snakes above his head, and said in a cold voice:
"I have made a grand ceremony to enshrine the gods, and the whole world is watching. There are always some people who do not want me to be satisfied. However, Luoshan is so dangerous that even if there are 100,000 rebels coming, they cannot reach the top of the mountain. And any martial arts masters, magicians, and those below the heavens cannot threaten me in the slightest!
I trust Zhang Tianshi not to get involved in worldly affairs. After all, the only ones who can threaten me in Yu State are Xuan Yin and you. "
Wu Xiankui nodded and said, understandingly:
"Monk Xuanyin has sealed himself in the capital, and Zhang Yan is watching. Therefore, the only one who can stop you is me."
Xu Zhenguan suddenly sighed softly, with contempt and disappointment in his eyes:
"I didn't expect that the lord of Qingshan would do such a mean thing. What benefit did the Eighth King give you? Can I ask you to stop me?"
Wu Xiankui, who was wearing a coarse linen shirt and had a fiery red mark on his forehead, was surprisingly calm and said:
"As long as I take action, and wait for the replacement of the royal family of Yu State, I will be allowed to enter the palace and the tower of Emperor Taizu of Yu State to observe the stele."
The so-called tower was the building where Zhao Duan had visited twice to comprehend the inheritance of the "God of War".
The so-called viewing stele is a promise to allow outsiders to view the five murals.
In other words, Prince Jing and others promised that they would allow Wu Xiankui to comprehend the royal family's secret inheritance of "God of War".
"National traitor!"
Even though he had expected this, Xu Zhenguan was still furious when he heard the answer with his own ears.
Yes, in this world, what else can impress a strong man like Wu Xiankui who has reached the pinnacle of martial arts, except this?
High position and generous salary?
Lovely wife and beautiful concubine?
Or secular power?
To Wu Xiankui, everything is like floating clouds, and only the royal inheritance matters to him.
As long as Xu Zhenguan is there, Wu Xiankui will not be able to get what he wants.
Therefore, a group of people led by Prince Jing contacted him and asked him to take action once in exchange for this reward.
"Whether you are a traitor or not is your Xu family's own business."
Wu Xiankui looked calm:
"I'm not lying to you. The hundred-year battle between Qingshan and the royal family is not far away. I'm just going to bring it forward a few months today. If you win, I'll go back to the East China Sea and never interfere in your royal battle again. If you lose, the royal family's secret will be the stakes of this battle."
Xu Zhenguan's pale face showed a mocking expression, and she suddenly laughed:
"I understand. You are afraid. You are afraid that you will not be able to win the competition next year after I advance to the next level. That's why you come here to take advantage of the situation."
After Wu Xiankui appeared, he frowned for the first time and said indifferently:
"I don't care what your majesty thinks. I have devoted my life to martial arts. The royal family of Yu State is getting weaker with each generation. In terms of martial arts, they cannot beat Qingshan. So how can I use the so-called 'dragon energy' technique to win? How can it be glorious?"
After saying this, Wu Xiankui seemed to have lost interest in talking nonsense. He said calmly:
"There is no point in talking any more. If Your Majesty wants me to retreat, I will draw my sword."
Xu Zhenguan's smile faded, and only dignity remained in her eyes. She nodded gently:
"Alright."
Be it interception or competition.
No matter how good your words are, they are not as good as a sword in the throat.
The opponent's obstruction was expected, so there was really no point in talking nonsense.
Suddenly, the embroidered golden dragon on Xu Zhenguan's dragon robe suddenly came to life, broke free from the robe, circled the five-colored altar, and shone brightly.
The magic weapon left by Taizu is not just the Taia sword.
Xu Zhenguan thrust out a sword.
Wu Xiankui's coarse linen clothes and messy long hair danced wildly in the wind. He took a step forward, and an imposing aura as profound and majestic as a beacon rushed straight into the sky, even causing the dark clouds in the sky to collapse and disperse.
The spell of killing the gods was suppressed by the true meaning of martial arts that Guan Hai, the number one martial artist, had cultivated for a century.
The warrior throws a punch.
Even the evil gods in the sky have to retreat.
"I won't take advantage of you. Let's fight. How dare a mere evil spirit stand by and watch?"
Wu Xiankui's hair and beard trembled in the strong wind, and the mark between his eyebrows was as hot as a blazing flame.
This time he came all the way west from the East China Sea, passing through the water veins of the south of the Yangtze River, nurturing a martial artist's indomitable momentum, just like a big river, accompanied by a powerful energy like a waterfall hanging from the sky, pouring down.
Fists and swords collided, and above Mount Luo, the clouds and mist suddenly rolled like a raging sea.
The winding river at the foot of the mountain exploded with a roar like the collapse of the sky, and all living creatures within a radius of thirty miles looked at it in awe.
……
……
Jiancheng Road, the military camp.
As a garrison for the imperial court to station troops in Jianchengdao, the entire military mansion is majestic and looks like an independent city from the outside.
Soldiers on the four sides of the city took turns on duty, and daily drills were carried out in the major camps inside, all in order.
As one of the three "deputy generals" of the Jianchengdao Military Government, Ye Xin's authority in the military government is second only to the commander-in-chief of the military government.
Today, the commander led a group of elite soldiers to Luoshan to escort the empress to Fengshan, and took a deputy general with him. The remaining two deputy generals will jointly manage the garrison.
"General Ye!"
The officer guarding the city gate saw Ye Xin coming back from patrolling outside the city and hurriedly saluted respectfully.
Ye Xinren, who had a handsome face and a short beard, said, "Yes," on his horse.
"Open the door."
The officer hurriedly opened the gate of the military headquarters and let in a large group of patrol cavalry led by Ye Xin who were returning to the camp.
"Huh, why do I remember that these weren't the people who went out this morning?" A soldier scratched his head and muttered to himself.
The comrade beside him laughed and scolded:
"You are confused after sleeping so much that you are still awake in broad daylight? If not these batches, which ones?"
"I just feel it looks unfamiliar." The soldier muttered, but he also began to doubt himself. Could it be that he remembered it wrong?
Ye Xin returned to the military headquarters and immediately summoned all the generals in the camp to gather in the main camp.
"What happened? Why did you suddenly call us here?"
When the generals arrived one after another, they were all surprised.
Another deputy general of the same rank as Ye Xin frowned, seeing Ye Xin sitting in the commander-in-chief's seat carelessly and without any image. Facing the arrival of the crowd, he did not even stand up.
"Ye Xin! Is that where you sit? Get up! Do you think you can act so unruly when the commander is not here?" the deputy general shouted.
Ye Xin then slowly looked at everyone, but did not stand up. Instead, he folded his hands, leaned back in the big chair, and smiled slightly:
"Let's sit down and talk. We are comrades, and I don't want to be too ruthless. If you have anything to say, sit down and talk. Yes, I have prepared paper and pen for you..."
The officers became more and more confused and felt it was strange. They became alert and no one sat down.
The second deputy general stepped forward, slammed his hand on the table, and opened his eyes wide:
"Ye Xin! I'm talking to you, are you deaf and can't hear me? I asked you to get up..."
Before he could finish his words, a dagger dipped in a strange-colored venom suddenly stabbed out and pierced into the throat of the deputy general who was slapping the table.
The latter stared with eyes wide open, stepped back in disbelief, and covered his neck with his hands.
——His martial arts skills were not much inferior to Ye Xin's, but he was caught off guard and was suddenly attacked. He didn't have time to react and the poison took effect, and he fell to the ground with a thud.
"what!"
Everyone was shocked and subconsciously drew their swords, but the rule of military meetings was that no one was allowed to carry weapons when entering the tent. How could anyone carry weapons unintentionally?
"I wanted to give you a decent ending, but since it has come to this, I have to apologize."
Ye Xin threw the cup next to him to the ground, and it shattered with a snap. A large number of elite private soldiers who were secretly trained by Prince Jing's Mansion and were ambushed outside rushed into the military tent with sharp blades in hand.
Even though the generals were all very powerful, they were ultimately no match for the wolves. Soon the military tents were filled with blood and a large number of corpses fell.
Ye Xin opened the military tent, walked out, wiped his red hands with a white handkerchief, and instructed his trusted followers waiting outside, as well as the people disguised as military officials, and the private soldiers of Prince Jing's Mansion that he brought in:
"According to the previous plan, kill all those on the list who don't obey the rules, and then send a message to our people. The prince has ordered us to raise troops immediately, capture Jianning Prefecture, and arrest and eliminate all the forces of the court, especially the grain transport troops!"
"Yes!"
The subordinates scattered like the wind.
Soon, many corpses fell in the entire military headquarters, and the military officers who had secretly defected to Prince Jing's Mansion took control of the entire military headquarters with their trusted followers at the fastest speed.
Ye Xin raised his head and saw the imperial flag on the top of the city wall fall down and replaced by the flag of Prince Jing's palace. A mixture of excitement and fear surged on his face, and the conversation between him and the secret agent of the palace yesterday echoed in his ears.
"Raising an army now? His Majesty is in Luoshan..."
"The prince said that Luoshan is the tomb of His Majesty. Now that all the officials of the Jianchengdao court have gathered in Luoshan and all the cities are empty, it is the best time to start an uprising."
……
……
At the foot of Mount Luo.
The fight between the powerful men of the imperial court and the invading enemies continued.
In mid-air, Eunuch Hai and Duan Shuiliu were fighting fiercely. The two strongest men in the world were fighting with all their might, and outsiders could not get close at all.
Just like when those at the heavenly level fight each other, no one below the heavenly level can get close.
The palace priests and the strong men in the army were almost suppressing the sorcerers of the God of Law and the private army of the royal palace. At least in Zhao Duan's opinion, the two sides were not on the same level at all.
After all, the imperial court has a solid foundation. Even though the empress went south this time, she left many masters in the capital to ensure the stability of the court.
But those arranged at the foot of the mountain are strong enough. If there is any lack, it is only in the "high-end combat power", and they are only supported by Eunuch Hai.
However, although the enemy also has more than one "worldly" strong man, the strongest one is only Duan Shuiliu.
If the main purpose of the imperial court was not to protect the altar, they would have only defended and not attacked, giving the invaders room to breathe and roam.
If they really started fighting without any regard for anything, Zhao Duan felt that they could hold back these enemies in a quarter of an hour at most.
"Something's wrong!"
Zhao Duan, however, did not look happy at all. He stood guard in front of the altar with a nervous look on his face.
"What's wrong?" Lang Shiba and Ji Yue followed beside him and did not leave, looking at him in surprise.
Zhao Duan gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his eyes swept across the battlefield ahead, and said:
"The leader of the Fashen Sect did not show up..."
"Perhaps it was that day when he was seriously injured by His Majesty." Lang Shiba provided a reasonable guess.
Zhao Duan shook his head and said:
"Even if the God of Law is seriously injured and unable to participate in the battle, do you think the Eight Kings will only send out such a small number of people? They can't pose a threat to Fengshan at all, so what's the point?"
"This..." The people around looked at each other.
Just then, a loud noise coming from the top of the mountain caught everyone's attention.
Zhao Duan raised his head suddenly and found that the clouds on the mountain were rolling like a raging sea. Dark clouds gathered in the sky, accompanied by thunder. There was a strong wind blowing around Luoshan, and the mountain was shaking slightly.
It's like...
On the top of the mountain, gods were fighting. The sky and the earth changed color and the earth was shaking.
"It's the top of the mountain! There is a strong man attacking Your Majesty!" the attendant Tang Jinzhong blurted out.
Suddenly, some people wanted to rush up the mountain, but were stopped by Eunuch Hai, who had repelled Duan Shuiliu with one blow and shouted:
"Your Majesty has ordered us to guard the foot of the mountain. Don't fall for the trick of luring the tiger away from the mountain! Moreover, in the battle between heaven and man, even if it is us, if we get too close, we will be seriously injured if we are swept by the aftermath! It will be useless for you to go up!"
Suddenly, everyone calmed down. Yes, it was meaningless for them to go to a fight of this level, and it would only cause trouble.
However, at this moment, no one noticed that Zhao Duan suddenly lowered his head and his consciousness sank into his mind.
Only because Pei Niannu's voice reappeared:
"Buddhist World Honored One! It's the breath of Buddha!"
Zhao Duan was stunned, and quickly calmed down, asking in his mind:
"Senior, what do you mean? Are you saying that it was the power of the Buddha's deity that prevented you from coming that day?"
"Yes."
Zhao Duan was confused: "No, Senior, you must have made a mistake. The one who stopped you that day was a sorcerer who practiced the 'Heavenly Way'. What you sensed should be the breath of the god 'Heavenly Way'."
He felt that Pei Niannu was confused.
The leader of the Law God Sect, whether in the information or in his repeated actions that day, clearly displayed the typical "Taoist" characteristics.
Even the Empress was convinced that he was a sorcerer who practiced the "Heavenly Way" and was a righteous god. How could it be the power of the "World Honored One"?
"The Way of Heaven is the exterior... The Buddha is the interior... Practicing Buddhism and Taoism together... will lead to human immortality..."
Pei Niannu's intermittent, somewhat neurotic voice echoed.
Zhao Duan was stunned: "Senior... are you saying that the leader of the Fashen Sect is practicing the Heavenly Dao and the World Honored One at the same time? No, or to be more precise, he is mainly practicing the World Honored One Buddha, and the Heavenly Dao is secondary?"
Yes!
A sorcerer could practice multiple gods at the same time, just like himself, whose major was "God of War", but by chance, he now also mastered some of the spells of "World Honored One".
But in most cases, no one would practice both the two great gods.
The reason why Buddhism and Taoism are clearly divided into two major camps is that, to a certain extent, the two righteous gods are too powerful.
If you want to make progress, it is best to devote yourself to one of them. Those who try to master multiple things are almost always mediocre.
Because of this, Zhao Duan formed a fixed mindset. In his opinion, a powerful person like the "God of Law" who is half a step away from becoming a god should mainly practice the cultivation of a powerful righteous god.
Even if he also studied other gods as a minor, when he fights against the empress, he will definitely only use the strongest main god to fight.
What’s more, the founder of the Fashen Sect was the priest in the Tianshi Mansion.
According to Pei Niannu, the main subject of "Dharma God" is "Buddhist Buddha", and the secondary subject is "Taoist Heavenly Way".
Inverted!
Completely the opposite!
"But... how is this possible? The God of Law is a half-step celestial being. If even his secondary cultivation of Heavenly Dao is so strong and he can withstand Zhen Bao's sword and escape unscathed, then how strong must his main cultivation of World Honored One be?
Isn't it higher than a half-step celestial being? It's ridiculous... Who in the world can..."
Zhao Duan refuted subconsciously, but suddenly, his whole body stiffened, and the fog in his mind was suddenly split by a thought!
"No! There is one person in the world who can possibly do it... The main cultivation of the World Honored One can reach the level of a half-step celestial being or above..."
Zhao Duan suddenly turned his head and looked towards the northern capital!
The pupils suddenly contracted!
"Could it be..."
He thought of an extremely crazy possibility, what if... the true identity of the "God of Dharma" was Monk Xuanyin?
Xuan Yin has been hiding in Shenlong Temple for many years, never going out...
This second generation "God of Law" suddenly appeared and suppressed the entire God of Law sect, and his whereabouts are extremely rare.
Furthermore, one of its abilities is to travel outside in an "avatar".
There is a gap between Shenlong Temple and the imperial court, especially after the "destruction of Buddhism", Xuanyin has the interest motive to depose the empress and support the new emperor...
correct.
Zhao Duan suddenly recalled that day when the "God of Law" intercepted him in the suburbs, he said something very strange.
"We meet again……"
If the "God of Law" and Xuan Yin are the same person, or if there is some connection between the two, then this sentence has a reasonable explanation.
At the Buddhist debate meeting in the capital, Zhao Duan met Abbot Xuanyin.
"impossible……"
Zhao Duan's face turned pale. This guess was too absurd and too scary.
If the God of Dharma is indeed Xuanyin, doesn't it mean that the one who took action against Zhenbao today was this Buddhist celestial being?
Zhao Duan raised his head and looked at the top of Luoshan Mountain which was covered by clouds.
"Is it Xuanyin who is fighting with Zhenbao up there at the moment? But if it is him, why can't I sense any trace of Buddhist power? The Qinglian in my body doesn't even sense it?"
"If the one above is not the Mysterious Seal, then the 'God of Law' has not appeared yet..."
Zhao Duan's expression changed constantly. He suddenly turned around and ran towards the top of the mountain!
"Master Zhao?!"
The people protecting the altar were shocked.
Zhao Duan just said, "You guys guard the altar. His Majesty has given me another task. Don't worry about me!"
In order to prevent Eunuch Hai and others from stopping him or being distracted, Zhao Duan lied.
He decided to go up the mountain immediately and deliver this key information to the empress.
"With my level of cultivation, I can't participate in the battle between the gods and humans, but hiding outside the aftermath of the battle and delivering a message shouldn't be a problem."
Zhao Duan ran away with an anxious look in his eyes:
"I hope...it's not too late!"
……
Help catch typos
(End of this chapter)